A Nightmare's Return
by Anna Lefay
Summary: NEW chapter!Mina Harker's life ended & began with Dracula. Now the LXG Have a new mission and Mina has been having Nightmares. Of a man deadly familiar. Angst people! and a bit of dribble! but bare with me!
1. Default Chapter

*******^*^*******  
  
Rain poured over the Nautilus, leaving pools of water in the viewing deck.  
  
At this time of night everyone but a few working crewmembers were asleep, their minds subconsciously going over the days events. But for one person such a luxury was not permitted. Sleep had been evasive to her since the dreams had started, the nightmares, which called her to the being that had taken her life only to replace it with immortality and pain.  
  
Dracula.  
  
The very name still brought shivers down her spine.  
  
In fear.  
  
In wanting.  
  
In lust and in love.  
  
It scared her to think that after all these years, the one man who had brought pain and destruction to her life could still make her miss his very presence.  
  
"Bastard" she muttered, venom dripping from her voice.  
  
"Anyone I know?" a chuckle was heard behind her, if she hadn't of already sensed his presence she probably would have been startled. Such a feeling had been wasted on her since that night.  
  
"Mr. Sawyer, shouldn't you be safely tucked up in bed?" her English drawl sent warmth through the American, everything about her made his days and nights more interesting.  
  
"I should be saying the same to you Mrs. Harker, it doesn't matter if my brain does not get enough sleep, I am merely the brawn, whereas you are the brains" he quipped, moving to stand with her.  
  
"You are one of the most intelligent here Mr. Sawyer, don't sell yourself short." Mina hated when people put themselves down, there was no sense in it.  
  
"What troubles you?" he asked after a moment of silence, shivering slightly from the hard, cold rain.  
  
"Nothing which concerns you, be quite sure of that"  
  
" We've been friends for what? 2 years now? I think that it concerns me" he pushed, but still she stayed quiet, continuing to stare out into the night, wishing the dark clouds were not hiding the stars from her.  
  
A lot had happened in the two years since the league had been formed. The American and British Empires believed them to be valuable assets in keeping the world from further war, so after being continually assigned to different causes they had become family. They understood each other better than they understood themselves, missions were always successful and very few times had any of them lost control of their 'extraordinary powers'.  
  
But lately the world had lapsed into a tranquil ease, meaning the League were floating around the oceans waiting to be recruited for some cause or other. Already they were bored. The first week had been seen as a well- needed holiday period. But once the second month had passed, they were all thoroughly irritated.  
  
"Don't you think we should go in? I don't think pneumonia would suit either of us" he tried to guide her through the door, but her body stayed rigid under his touch.  
  
"It hardly matters to me, I died years ago" her bitter tone was not lost on the young man.  
  
"Hardly, your here, with us, fighting for better a world"  
  
"And yet I wish to leave it"  
  
Tom stayed quiet, just watching the widow; her long flaming hair was down past her waist in wet curls, her pale face cold from standing out in the rain for too long. She was wearing his favourite black lacy-necked dress.  
  
Not that he would tell her that of course, she would in no doubt chuck the material over board had he said so directly.  
  
"I'll go inside, put some tea on" he left her standing there. Hoping she would tire of the weather and come inside.  
  
To him.  
  
*~*  
  
"Something's wrong with her, she's been acting differently lately, shutting herself off in her lab..." Tom ranted to Skinner two days later when he hadn't seen the allusive Mrs. Harker since her stunt in the rain.  
  
"Look Mate, the Lady is bored and probably.. You know, hungry, I get grouchy when I'm hungry, although if I were her and the only food that would really sustain me was blood and you couldn't touch those around you...well, I would be a bit reclusive as well" he started to paint more of the white grease onto his face, annoyed that Tom wasn't actually looking to where he stood. He hated it when people weren't able to actually talk to him, face to face.  
  
"I don't think so though, I mean, we've been in this situation before and she has never once looked at us as her next meal"  
  
Skinner watched as the young agent stormed around the room as though a tiger caged, holding back his frustration.  
  
Ah Young love, he thought, he remembered the feeling.  
  
Although he wasn't sure as the how old the red head was, from what he had heard when they were first hired by M she had married young, 19 or so.  
  
"Tom, why don't you go take it up with her?"  
  
"How can I? If I ask her anything 'inappropriate' she gives me this look, you know the one, threatening me to make a move so she can kick my ass out the door"  
  
"Hmm, Perhaps I will go and talk to her then, I wouldn't mind getting my ass kicked by a beautiful..." he shut his mouth when Tom gave him a murderous glare for even thinking about such a thing.  
  
"Then talk to her through the door, then she can't kick you out"  
  
Not one for serious conversations Skinner soon found himself in a daydream, thinking about the wine just across the room, wondering how many paces it would take to get to the green decanter. Why did people think that coming to him with their problems was a good idea? Did they realise that the best part of his day was taken up by either drinking, spying or thinking about sex? No, probably not. Either that or Allan Quatermain himself was taking out vengeance on him for all those times of spying on him.  
  
Deciding that the only way he wasn't going to be sat here for another hour or more was to wipe him face clean with a nearby table cloth and hopefully a dash for the wine, he waited for Sawyer to turn his back.  
  
NOW! His mind screamed. Yanking at a corner of the cloth he wiped his face hard, hoping that he had gotten all the paint off.  
  
Satisfied, he walked behind tom and to the table at the far end, waiting again for him the turn around, before grabbing the decanter and charging off out the door and to his rooms.  
  
|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|  
  
"Mina.... Don't worry Mina, I'll be with you soon...."  
  
"No" her own voice echoed through the darkness of her mind.  
  
"Now Jonathan is out of the way, your no longer married, you won't have to be torn between us. We can be happy together..."  
  
"Your dead, I killed you, felt your new beating heart stop.... Your dead.."  
  
"I could never die, and leave you alone in the world..."  
  
It was a nightmare, it had to be, but it felt so real.  
  
"Do not worry my love.... we'll be together again soon..."  
  
"NO!!!!!"  
  
Her scream shook her out of the darkness, and into the dimly lit room of her lab, where she had fallen asleep.  
  
"Mina?" the male voice caused an air of fear to go through her.  
  
"Thomas, I do not believe that I gave you permission to enter my room! What do you think you are doing? Did you ever gain manners?" she snapped, straightening the notes in front of her, anger burning within.  
  
"Well, When someone hears screams of terror from a friend they usually ignore such things and try to help" he snapped back, finally retaliating again her own snappish behaviour.  
  
"Screams of terror? Perhaps you should check on Dr Jekyll, maybe Mr. Hyde is playing tricks on him again"  
  
"Mina, do not dismiss this, something is bothering you and I want to know what! You haven't been sleeping much and when you do you awaken screaming, you snap at anyone and everyone, that's when you actually venture out of this hole of a room. You don't eat with us anymore, your always working! What is so important that you won't confide in anyone?" he knelt beside her chair, watching her conflicting emotions battle on her face, hoping she would finally give in.  
  
"Will the League please report to the dining room, a mission has been arranged" Captain Nemo's joyful voice rang through the ship, gaining the attention of all.  
  
"Saved by the order, come along then Mr. Sawyer, best not keep the captain waiting" rushing past the young man before he could stop her.  
  
Dammit, he thought.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Ah, Mr. Sawyer, Mrs. Harker, finally, we are all here! Now let me tell you of our mission" the captain stood at the end of the long table, waiting for everyone to be seated.  
  
"Around 20 minutes ago, when the men stopped at the French harbour for supplies a gentlemen approached me with out new mission. Apparently in this country that we are to travel to there have been a number of unexplained disappearances from the neighbouring countries and they are all pointing fingers to the common enemy. We are to find what is going on before war breaks out. With the British and French continually doing business with parts of these countries you can imagine the strain it will put on matters" Skinner was practically jumping with enthusiasm.  
  
"Finally, I was beginning to think that me being invisible was a waste of time!"  
  
Everyone agreed, it wasn't that they wanted war or anything like that. But this was their job.  
  
"Are we all agreed?"  
  
"Aye" the all spoke.  
  
"Where is this country then mate?" Skinner asked, helping himself to a glass of sherry.  
  
"Transylvania I believe is the name, wait a moment, I'll get the dossier" the small man went to the cupboard behind them, where he kept all his precious paperwork, and handed it out, each segment more interesting than before.  
  
Nobody noticed that Mina looked a little more paler than usual, or that her hands were shaking.  
  
"Excuse Me," she mumbled, practically knocking the chair over in her flight.  
  
"Mina?" Dr Henry Jekyll called after her.  
  
"Don't worry Jekyll, I'll check on her" Sawyer ran after her, not seeing the jealous look in the Doctors eyes as he left.  
  
"I'll bet you will," he muttered, ignoring skinners obvious look and Mr. Hyde's taunts.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Mrs. Harker! Mrs. Harker.... Wait! Mina!" even being an agent for the American government didn't make him the fastest runner around, that honour went the fleeing woman who was yards a head of him.  
  
"Will you stop?!" He called again.  
  
He knew she was headed for the top deck again, she seemed to do that when wanting to escape her thoughts, or so he had noticed.  
  
Not that he was studying her or anything...No, Of course he wasn't.  
  
Finding the door still open he found her standing on the edge of the rail, the wind threatening to blow her completely over.  
  
"Mina, come down from there, please, don't so anything stupid" he crept closer, watching the wind blow her unrestricted hair hard in all directions, as though it were a threat to what it could do.  
  
"Mina...."  
  
"I would rather live an eternity underwater with the fishes to fill my hunger than go back there" It was the first time he had ever seen her lose control over her emotions, and to let her voice speak the pain and hurt she felt, and it scared him.  
  
"Where? Transylvania?" he crept a bit closer, and yet she hadn't moved an inch since climbing up there in the first place, she was in complete control, for now.  
  
"That's where it happened, where this whole mess started..."  
  
"The League?"  
  
"No, bigger than the league"  
  
He didn't understand, and she wasn't sure if she had the strength to tell him, it seemed so much easier to forget about everyone and everything by jumping.  
  
"Do you believe in reincarnation?" she asked suddenly, looking at him with a serious glare, threatening him to make a joke of it.  
  
"I never really thought about it."  
  
"I was brought up a good Christian girl. You marry and you love, you raise good Christian children of your own then you die and are reunited with your loved ones in Heaven to live eternally at peace"  
  
"Sounds nice"  
  
"I never questioned it, not once...until he came into m life..... He seduced me, and I let him, my heart and soul was crying out to him... begging me to give in...And I did...then I realised why I knew his face, why I knew our story before he even uttered the first line to me...we had been together before, centuries before..."  
  
"Have you been at the absinthe?" he questioned, finding her story hard understand.  
  
"He made me what I was...I practically begged him to do it, broke my husbands heart when he found me...and I still cried out for Him, but by going to him I sealed his fate to die.... He was in so much pain I had to finish it my self...."her voice broke, remembering that night, when the snow had fallen hard all around them and she hadn't even noticed the cold.  
  
"...Jonathan had waited for me, his love still burning in him for me, and I let him take me home, thinking the curse had been lifted... but as he aged..."  
  
"You didn't"  
  
"Not a day...He said he didn't mind, but I knew it bothered him, thinking that he would never see me again once he left this world, as I would in no doubt be going straight to hell once I was ripped from this world...for the second time it seems... I'm doomed to the same fate, in one life I committed suicide and when I finally get a 2nd chance I go running back into the arms of darkness...I'm cursed, and If I go back there I will be tested again...and I\m not strong enough" she reasoned, leaning forward, ready to dive, only to be dragged back from the edge back strange arms.  
  
"NO!! LET ME GO THIS INSTANT, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND.... IT'S ALREADY STARTED...." He cries were muffled when he pressed her head into his chest, holding her tightly, refusing to let go.  
  
Although he knew that this women could over power him in seconds and was making use of her weakened state.  
  
"I won't let him touch you, but we need you on this Mina, we need you, you are strong, your one of the strongest here, nothing can hurt you, he can't hurt you unless you let him" he soothed, letting her cry on him, actually pleased to know that his friend knew more emotion than anger, sarcasm and aloofness.  
  
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Any Good? Please Review. Thanx xXx 


	2. promises and understanding

After pulling the young womans reluctant body back under deck, Tom took her straight to the dining room, hoping to find something to warm her freezing body. Maybe she did not feel the air as much as those around her, but she still felt it, and he could feel the block of ice she had become and the convulsions her body was undergoing causing her breath short and ragged.  
  
Could a vampire die of the cold? He wondered, immediately berating himself for such a thought, Mina had once told him her weaknesses...just incase she were to give in to blood lust and endanger anyone, thinking he would be the only one capable of actually carrying through such an action, little did she know that he was the least likely, how could he kill the woman he...felt strongly about.  
  
"Mina... I need to give you something warm to drink...Tea? Hot chocolate? What Mina, what will help?" His rants were soon heard by those in the drawing room next door, having a small celebration for their new job.  
  
"Oh my goodnees! Mina? Is she well? What has happened?" Dr Jekyll was the first to ask, looking to the others who were also filing through the door.  
  
"Quick, Get some blankets, anything, we need to warm her up" The American agent ordered, practically barking at them as though he were back in the secret surface with rookies.  
  
"Aye Aye" Skinner awknowledged, running to the near by room.  
  
"Brandy, Whiskey, anything to shock her nerves, Nemo, where do you keep it?" Dr Jekyll added, kneeling beside the shivering woman, checking her temperature.  
  
"I'll fetch some immediately" the small bearded man rushed to the drawing room, rifling through the small but extensive drinks cabinet as Skinner returned with the woolen blankets.  
  
"Here you are love, lets make you nice and cosy" The not-so invisible man soothed, almost shocking the men around him with the care in which he placed the blankets around her, placing a stool under her legs and so forth.  
  
"I care as well mates" was all he said, practically skulking.  
  
"I'll make some tea, warm her from inside" Henry Jekyll muttered, pushing past Tom as he headed towrd the kitchen, trying hard to supress Mr Hyde's insesant taunts over his jealous feelings when the other men fussed over his vampiress.  
  
*Your vampiress Henry? Honestly, such thoughts, I wonder if the other members of the league have such thoughts. Do you think she sees you as her insane doctor?*  
  
"Shut up you blithering idiot, I do not have time to listen to you!" the dark haired man snapped to the thin air around him, although, had anyone been present they would not have thought anything of his behaviour as to them it was almost normal.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
"Mmmm, Thank you, all of you" Mina's hoarse voice finally spoke, her eyes filling with shame at what she had put them through. What would her mother have thought of her unproper doings.  
  
"Think nothing of it dear, we are just glad you are feeling better, but if I may ask, what brought this on?" The captain asked, a fatherly instinct taking over, even though she may be older than him in actuality.  
  
"Again, Thank you. It will not happen again" She tried to close the subject, but it seemed that this time it would not be allowed.  
  
"Mina, Please, you were saying something earlier about resurrection as well as other things, let us in, let us help you" Tom pleaded, taking her small and still cool hand in his own.  
  
"You don't understand, none of you could, its my fight and you cannot interfere"  
  
"At least tell us what you are up against" Skinner prodded, his own glass of whiskey nearly empty.  
  
"Its hard to explain"  
  
"Try" Tom insisted.  
  
Sighing the only female member of the league realised that she would in no way be getting out of this.  
  
It was time ti tell them, her story.  
  
" My maiden name was Murray. I was orphaned before my teenage years, sent to live with my bestfriend Lucy and her very kind and rich family. I became a governess, it was not heard of or accepted for a scientist to be female. I met my husband Jonathan a banker and a good ten years or so older than myself, then at least. I started having dreams, terrible nightmares of a man who promised to look after me forever and show me the wonders others could not. I ignored them thinking that I was just over excited at my upcoming marriage until Jon was called to do business in...Transylvania. I wanted to marry him before he went, but he would not have it, didn't want a rushed marriage...." Her voice almost broke from spilling the tale to her friends, she had not allowed herself to speak of the event for such a long time, had she even spoken of it at all? She couldn't remember.  
  
"...Finally He told me a story, or at least he started, but I already knew it the very words were almost seared into my soul....I betrayed him, by marrying Jonathan, then I betrayed Jon by chosing Dracula over him...Revenge was had though, Dracula won in the end, seperating us forever with this curse..." Finally the tears did come, and all took part in calming the nearly hysterical woman.  
  
"But if this...man...demon...thing...is dead then surely its safe for you to go with us" Skinner rationalised.  
  
"You don't understand... the dreams...they have started again" she stood, throwing off all the blankets and past the men surrounding her.  
  
"He won't stop this time, if he can come back from the dead then he can do anything"  
  
"We can do this Mina" Tom reassured her.  
  
"Mrs Harker" She snapped coldly, her aloof persona immediately back in place.  
  
This wasn't wasted on the others, finally they felt as if they saw another side of their extraordinary colleague and already it was gone.  
  
"It doesn't matter, I will not allow him to have me again, when this is done I am leaving the League. I am a burden if my mine is constantly invaded by a dangerous enemy" She strolled out the room as though the past hour had not happened, as though it were the nightmare she had so distastefully spoken of.  
  
"Looks like we have 2 missions here lads" Rodney quipped, downing the rest of his drink in one gulp.  
  
"I somehow believe that they may be one and the same" Nemo theorised, his wise voice silencing the rest of the group, who after too long of a pregnant pause left to find solitude and hopefully slumber.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
2 days past as the Nautililus travelled at high speed towards the dreaded country, plans being made to find and travel to the witnesses and so on, hopefully without drawing too much attention to themselves. After all, they were meant to be an almost invisible force only called upon by the high powers in times of great need, a measure only rewarded by said powers and not the public. They were to believe that peace was found diplomaatically.  
  
All the members fell into the usual routine of their 'work'.  
  
Skinner pestering those who trully had something to be doind.  
  
Like Captain Nemo whom was hard at work trying to find the best route and closest country to travel through, while assisted by Dr Jekyll who was taking agreat interest in the Captain's contraptions, asking his usual intelligent questions while suppressing those of his counterpart.  
  
Tom Sawyer however was sulking, and trying to hide it. However such a thing was hard to ignore espeically by certain invisible counterparts whom had nothing better to do.  
  
"Honest lad, just talk to her, you know where she is! in her lab as usual looking for a way to cure the world of some disease or other" He had stated irritably sick of watching his american friend storm around the decks in the foulest of moods.  
  
"She doesn't want to talk about it. She wants to run away and pretend its not happening, I used to think that she was the rational and fearless amoung us" the blonde ranted.  
  
"Everyone has their demons boy and I will gladly give you ten pounds if you found me one person who isn't afraid by the mere thought of facing them" Oddly the older man left the conversation there, finding someone else to at least play with.  
  
"I hate it when hes right"  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Meanwhile in Mina's lab the red head coulf be found staring blankly at the wall beside her bed. For the past two days she had worked like a woman possessed trying to find ways of helping with the latest case, anything to get her mind off other topics. The attempt was of course futile, how could she help? alread she was a hinderance, her mind on constantly wandering and refusing sleep incase it should be invaded again.  
  
"Jon..."she whispered longingly, she missed his conforting presence. The way his hand would randomly find its way to her hair and slowly stroke it as though she were a cat or child....  
  
Children, oh how she wanted a child.  
  
Sadly she and her darling husband had never been blessed with such beings, cursed people were not meant to have such wonder, another reminder of her betrayl. How could she have done it? Not a day went by when she didn't beat herself up about it in some manner.  
  
Until Dorian.  
  
Another demon who had masqueraded himself as an angel of mercy, of wonder who wanted to treat her like a queen. His queen.  
  
She refused to belong to anyone.  
  
Never would she bring another down, let another feel the sting of her betrayl....least of all Tom.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Dreary and a bit repetitive, I know, and I apoloise for it, but I just kept finding new angle for her pain and self hatred for her past. I'm sure everyone knows Mina's background story but I just put an explaination in for anyone who my not, or may not understand why I am making such a big deal about it all.  
  
Please bare with me!!! There is hopfully a good story in here somewhere!!!!!  
  
Thnx X 


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